A change of heart over campaigning in Fitchburg

State representative candidate Kim Maxwell and supporters participate in the annual Fourth of July Parade as part of Fitchburg's Civic Days celebration in 2016. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / ASHLEY GREEN

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FITCHBURG -- The Civic Days Committee on Tuesday reversed its decision to bar candidates from campaigning during the Fourth of July Parade.

"With welcomed comments from the community, the Parade Committee will maintain the campaign division in the parade for 2017," the Civic Days Committee said in a statement issued early Tuesday evening, after field questions from the media, including the Sentinel & Enterprise, about the initial decision to block campaigning during the parade.

"This should be overruled," Ellen Cunha, a former Civics Days organizer said earlier Tuesday, before the committee's reversal. "Think of Fourth of July. What is that all about? Our freedom. Our freedom of speech."

A.J. Tourigny -- chair of the Civic Days Committee and the mayor's chief of staff -- said earlier Tuesday the original decision to bar campaigning came after complaints from both past candidates who have marched in the political section of the parade and the public.

"They've had some challenges in the past, and they decided it wasn't something they were planning to do this year," Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale said Tuesday afternoon.

Under the decision to bar campaigning, city officials, some who are incumbents, would still able to represent their official capacity during the parade.

"They're elected officials," DiNatale said. "The people have elected them to office, and they don't walk with signs.

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Tourigny said organizing the political portion of the parade can be "frustrating" and added to the workload of the volunteers organizing the event.

Traditionally, candidates campaigning in the parade marched in alphabetical order, and that will be the case this year as well. Tourigny said some complained of other candidates bringing too many vehicles or walking too fast.

Members of the public complained the campaign section of the parade was too long, he said.

"In order to address original feedback"" the committee said in its statement Tuesday, "campaigns will be asked to limit themselves to 25 walking participants, 2 vehicles or floats, will be lined up in alphabetical order, will be the last division in the parade, and will have a $75 entry fee" -- a 50 percent increase from last year.

Cunha, who organized the parade for several years in the early to mid-1990s, said the fee was helpful for fundraising.

"It's less money that we have to raise," she said.

The parade has had a political portion for as long as she can remember, roughly 30 to 40 years, Cunha said.

"When I was a chairperson we just opened it up to everyone," she said. "We never shunned anyone. ... Who are we to tell people that they can't be involved?"

Sam Squailia, who announced her intention to run for councilor-at-large this year, said she disagreed with the decision to ban campaigning during the parade.

"It's ironic to ban political activism on Independence Day, a day that we celebrate our independence from tyranny of the government and we celebrate our freedom," she said before the committee's reversal.

Councilor-at-large Marcus DiNatale said he felt indifferent to the change and questioned the importance of campaigning in the parade.

"Allow it, do not allow it, it has practically zero impact on successes come Election Day in my opinion, but it is fun if allowed," he wrote in a Facebook post, before posting news of the committee's reversal.

He said the Block Party on July 3 allows campaigning and is a better platform for interacting with voters. The mayor agreed.

"You're going to meet more people at the Block Party," he said.

The Doll Carriage/Bike Parade, which traditionally happens before the duck race, was canceled this year and the funds normally used for the event will be transferred to the Block Party, according to Tourigny.

For his part, Councilor DiNatale said he has never participated in the political portion of the parade to promote his own candidacy.

He is not alone. City Council President Michael Kushmerek said he has marched in the public official portion, but not as a candidate. Squailia said she was on the fence about marching as a political candidate before finding out candidates would be barred from campaigning.

Josiah Richards and Helena Miles, who have both pulled papers for ward council seats, said they were not planning to march in the political portion of the parade.

Miles won't be marching due to a trip, but she believes seeing candidates in the parade and watching them interact with voters is helpful.

"It does give a lot of tell-tale signs of who a person is," she said.

Councilor-at-large Dean Tran said he marched as a candidate in 2015.

"I'm not sure if it helped me get elected, but I believe it is a great avenue for me to show the public that I was seeking re-election to City Council," he said.

Kushmerek, reached before the reversal, said he found the change "a little puzzling."

"I'm not sure entirely why that was done, and I think it limits participation and activism in some parts of the parade," he said.

Kushmerek said he plans to march in the city official portion of the parade and spend time with his family and friends at the Block Party.

"My biggest priority is enjoying the day alongside other residents and visitors to the city," he said.

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